Real Italian Burrata

As I've mentioned before, burrata is another favorite of mine.  
I splurged on some of the really good stuff to enjoy over the weekend (some = an entire ball to myself) and it brought me back to memories of Italy, specifically Florence.  I thought I'd share one with you.
If you ever find yourself wandering the streets of Florence with a few hours to kill, please read below and visit Ristorante Sanfrediavino.  Here, I even found it listed on TripAdvisor for you.
When we first arrived in Florence after checking into our beautiful hotel, the Riva Lofts, we had a few hours to kill before meeting up with a friend for dinner.  Our sweet concierge suggested we wander close by to Sanfrediavino for a late lunch.  It was a tiny room of a restaurant with bright purple walls and the owner / only employee we saw there with his long shaggy hair, plaid flannel shirt and thick glasses looked more like he grew up in Portland than in Florence.  He humored my attempt to converse in Italian and when I had exhausted my vocabulary he effortlessly switched over to English.  He actually stopped us from ordering after naming only a couple dishes, saying, "that's too much!"  Alas, I will have to return one day to try his gnocchi.  
With the first taste from the heaping pile (we're talking huge...YUGE!) of burrata with heirloom tomatoes that had been set in front of us I thought I'd died and gone to Italian heaven.  The flavors of the locally - and freshly - made cheese is just on an entirely other level than anything I've tasted back here.  I was ecstatic for the experience, savored every single bite, then felt sad at that last bite knowing I wouldn't have it again anytime soon.

Anyway, my lunch of burrata and tomatoes this weekend brought me back to that day, that experience, and made me long for the ability to time travel.

Easy Apple Butter

This was my first experience canning.  A friend of mine sent me home a few weeks ago with her own canned strawberry preserves and fig jam and sold me on the art of canning.  I had no idea how EASY it is.  Therefore, with Matt out of town this weekend and a solid two days of cleaning house and playing in the kitchen, I decided to give my own recipe & canning a try.  First up:  apple butter.  There really is nothing better at the beginning of fall than the powerful aroma of slow cooking apples and cinnamon.  Heavenly. 

Below is the recipe I used, however I think in the future I'd cut out an entire cup (maybe just half to start) of the sugar, good God this stuff is sweet.  But still delicious.  The best part?  This recipe is for slow cooker apple butter, no intense process necessary.  After the laborious prep of peeling and slicing all of the apples, this was easy-peasy.  I think I might be in a canning phase for awhile.
(Note:  this recipe only yielded 6 x 4oz canning jars.  I will double this recipe in the future.)

Crock Pot Apple Butter
Approx. 3 lbs apples
3 cups sugar (they also suggest substituting 1 cup honey for 1 of the cups of sugar to lessen the sweetness)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cloves
dash of salt
3/4 cup water (or fresh apple cider, which I did not have)

Fill crock pot with peeled, cored, and sliced apples (crock pot should not exceed 3/4 full).  Add the remaining ingredients and stir until evenly mixed.  Cover and cook on 
low setting all day or overnight until the butter is of a thick, spreadable consistency.
If apple butter has too much liquid, remove lid and cook on high until thickened.  Stir often as butter thickens to prevent scorching.  When you're all done, use an immersion blender for a couple minutes for a smoother consistency.

I used this link for assistance in my canning procedure, as well as this starter kit for dropping my jars into my boiling water bath.

Silverlake Farmer's Market

I am generally an early riser, not because I can't sleep until noon if challenged, but because I love beginning my day with the simple pleasure of sipping a cup of coffee while the world is still sweetly serene outside my window.  This Saturday I was up so early I actually made it to my neighborhood Farmer's Market before the masses arrived.  
I really need to make a habit of coming here more often.  I always feel... just so happy to be there... wandering around, taking my time choosing my produce (and fresh lavender this week), soaking in the vibrant colors of the surrounding fruits, veggies, and flowers.  It baffles me why I don't make the effort to do this every weekend.

Here are a few snapshots from my early morning trip to the Silverlake Farmer's Market.

Hope you enjoyed your Saturday morning, too.

Saint Agur Blue

Saint Agur blue cheese has been a contender as my favorite for a couple years running.  It's a French cow's milk double cream (since it has 60% butter cream) that balances it's extra tangy flavor with a smooth, creamy texture.  I love serving it with a touch of raw honey on sourdough.  A more subtly flavored french bread would definitely be wiser so as not to compete with Saint Agur's flavors, but when I catch the scent of freshly baked sourdough I just can't help myself.